


Dimensions of Connections

by ryttu3k



Series: Resilience [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Adoption, Family, Family Bonding, Gen, Genderfluid Character, Parent-Child Relationship, Queer Families, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 02:04:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6137542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryttu3k/pseuds/ryttu3k
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Calem and his new professor have a heart-to-heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dimensions of Connections

Sina and Dexio are pretty nice, Calem decides as he makes his way down Southern Boulevard.

Alright, so Sina is... loud, but friendly. Dexio is helpful and kind, and when Calem glances back along the Boulevard, he sees Dexio raise an encouraging hand. Sina is waiting up ahead, having already ushered in Serena - and there's Shauna waiting with her, waving enthusiastically when she spots Calem.

"Sina says Serena's already here!" she chirps as she grabs Calem's sleeve, giving it a little tug. "Come on or we'll be late!"

The lab is an older building, bedecked with paintings and drawings of Pokemon, and Calem glances around curiously as he and Shauna head to the elevator. "What do you think the professor's like?" Shauna asks curiously as they wait for it to reach them (old buildings, apparently, mean old elevators), "I mean, I read the information in the starter pack, but it was just about research and stuff."

Calem shrugs. "I'm not sure. Maman just said he's really nice. Maybe he's a good battler, since he knows my parents?" They both know him - he's not really clear on how, given that Pokemon veterans and Pokemon professors presumably move in very different fields - but have told him little, telling him when he leaves to make his own mind up.

He's sort of nervous about it, actually, and he can't quite put his finger on why.

The elevator arrives; he and Shauna head to the third floor. Already, he can hear voices - Serena and presumably the professor in conversation - and he and Shauna round the corner to meet them.

"- and have you travel around Kalos!"

Shauna grins and steps forward, calling out a greeting. Serena glances over her shoulder and flashes Shauna a smile (Calem can't help but feel a smidge put out - no smile for him), and the professor turns to meet them.

Calem's first thought is that the professor is a lot younger than he had initially thought.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," he says with an embarrassed smile. "I was training in Parterre Way."

"Fantastic!" the professor smiles, "That's the kind of enthusiasm I like to see! Now, shall we all have a battle?"

He's matched with Shauna, while Serena takes on the professor. Briefly, Calem feels put-out, then shrugs, turning to his friend. "I hope you're ready!" he calls warningly, and releases his Fletchling.

It's a decently tough battle. While his Fletchling handily manages to defeat Shauna's Skitty, his Froakie has a natural disadvantage to her Chespin, and he's hard-pressed to keep the advantage.

He wins - barely - and steps back to watch Serena's Fennekin destroy the professor's Squirtle. (He honestly feels sorry for the little guy when it promptly faceplants on the rug, the professor giving it a reassuring scritch before recalling it into its ball.)

Trevor and Tierno arrive next, having missed the opportunity to battle but at least able to meet the professor. He beams. "Wonderful! Everyone's all here!"

It's a good speech, Calem will give him that. He's half watching the professor, half keeping an eye on Serena - his neighbour is a strong fighter, he's seen that now, and he's half made up his mind to ask her to be a proper rival.

He can do this. He can find a place for himself as the best trainer in Kalos. He'll make a name for himself.

And if that involves mastering Mega Evolution, so much the better.

They turn to leave; the professor coughs politely. "Calem, may I have a quick word with you?" he says with a smile, and Calem blinks once.

"Uh, sure. Serena, do you know where Cafe Soleil is?"

"Not a clue," she laughs.

Shauna tugs on her arm. "It's right near where I want to go!" she smiles, "I'll show you, okay?"

Serena nods firmly. "Okay. Do you want to meet there?"

Hesitating only briefly, Calem nods. "Yeah. I've got to talk to you about something."

His new neighbour nods again, and the others filter out, leaving just him and the professor alone.

The professor doesn't speak immediately, an uncertain expression on his face as he leans back against the desk. Calem watches him curiously, almost cautiously - he has no idea what this could be about, and is honestly feeling a little self-conscious about being singled out like this.

Maybe the professor just wants to pass a message on to his parents? He shakes his head minutely and waits for the professor to speak first.

"Well!" he finally says, a smile crossing his face, "First, I want to say that you have the makings of a fine battler! I was watching you and Shauna - when I wasn't being defeated myself -" he adds with a laugh - "And you did incredibly well, especially considering the type disadvantage."

"Thanks," Calem mutters, scraping his shoe against the carpet. "My parents are both veterans and taught me a bunch - they said they know you, actually."

The professor pauses. "They do, yes," he finally smiles, "I've known them for over seventeen years - since shortly before they adopted you, in fact. So on a related note, I'd like to wish you happy birthday for next week! Do you have any plans for it?"

It just seems like small talk. Inconsequential. He shrugs. "No idea, I guess I'll be travelling. I want to do the gym circuit," he says, "And master Mega Evolution. That's what you said to do, right?"

"I did." The professor bites his lip once, then simply comes out with it. "Actually, I brought up your birthday for a reason. You're nearly seventeen and about to start a journey, you're nearly an adult. And - your parents and I, we've decided that you're old enough to know."

 _Oh._ "You're my biological father, aren't you?"

The professor blinks once.

Smiling mareepishly, Calem clarifies, "Like, it's practically an adoptee stereotype. 'You're old enough to know, I've discussed it with your parents', said by a guy who looks a lot like you. I guess my biological mother has straight hair and I got your colouration?"

The professor actually laughs, looking almost delighted at his deduction. "You're mostly right!" he says encouragingly, "Yes, you're my son. As for the other direction, that's, uh, a bit more complicated!"

"Other direction?" Calem's words are absent; he's studying the professor. Yes, he's starting to see it - similar eyes, a nose he's pretty sure he'd have when he's older, the shape of their jawlines (although the professor's seems to be a bit softer than his own, more of a curve to it, actually -) "What do you mean?"

"We-ell..." The professor looks uncertain again, then lets out a sigh. "Alright! Biologically, you get half your genes from each parent, yes? That includes the XX chromosomes and XY chromosomes - although gender doesn't come into it at all, the common convention is that the parent that provided XX chromosomes is the maternal parent or mother and the parent that provided XY chromosomes is the paternal parent or father, with the resulting combination - whether you get a second X or a Y to go with the first X - determining what sex you appear to be. That's a simplification, of course, it doesn't account for intersex people, unfortunately, since those chromosomes can recombine in all sorts of ways, and most people don't even actually know what their karyotype even _is_ and it really doesn't take actual gender identity into account -"

He's rambling, Calem notes bemusedly.

"- but those are the biological terms, unfortunately, even if it doesn't necessarily reflect the individual. The parent that contributed the XX chromosomes is usually the one to carry and give birth to the baby as well, which can be _terribly_ awkward if you don't actually identify as female, and is biologically considered to be the maternal parent or mother even if that individual is genderfluid, mostly male most of the time, really, and would probably prefer being referred to their son's father and not their mother since they're _really_ not very comfortable being seen as female and not many people use 'maternal parent' and 'mother' tends to be a very... ah, gendered word, even if that's the biological term, but really, biology is a mess at the best of times..."

The professor is rambling, clearly nervous, fidgeting with his watch, not really meeting Calem's gaze. Calem shrugs and puts him out of his misery. "Oh, okay. You gave birth to me?"

The professor stops short and blinks almost comically. "Oh. Yes. That's what I was _attempting_ to get to," he says with a laugh.

"Oh," Calem says quietly, fiddling with his cuff, and the professor - his father, the one who gave birth to him, whatever their relationship is - stops short, face falling. "Okay."

"I'm sorry," he immediately says softly. "I know this is a lot to take in. It would be even without the whole trans thing."

Calem nods once, studying the floor as if it holds all of life's answers. "I resented you for a long time," he finally says, voice soft, unwilling to look up. "Because even though my parents - my adoptive parents, but they've raised me since I was a baby and they _are_ my parents - even though they said you gave me up because you were really young at the time, I still kind of felt like..."

With a sigh, he runs a hand through his hair.

"Like you should have tried, I guess. Like you shouldn't have abandoned me. Like you didn't love me enough to try."

He chances a glance up; the professor looks like he's been slapped. His head is down, curls covering his eyes, but Calem can see that he's biting his lip hard.

"Okay," he says shakily, "I probably deserved that. I know I can't give an excuse, but can I try to explain?"

The professor hasn't looked up, so Calem makes an affirmative noise.

Moving around to the other side of the desk, the professor busies himself digging through a drawer, like he wants to have something to do with his hands even as they talk. "I fell pregnant when I was sixteen," he explains, voice soft and a little shaken. "And, well - I wasn't in a very good state of mind at the time. I was severely depressed, one of the youngest students at university, had very few friends, saw - ah - intimacy as a way to gain approval and to try and be what I considered to be a normal girl... falling pregnant wasn't exactly a good way to go about doing that."

He lets out a sigh, finally looking up. Calem notes that his eyes are damp, and feels a stab of guilt, heavy and painful in his abdomen. 

"I had just turned seventeen when you were born," the professor finally says forlornly, fingers twisting together. "Only a little older than you are now. I was a seriously depressed teenager, your biological father had decided he didn't want to be involved, and I had no financial or emotional ability to raise a child on my own. I arranged for you to be adopted by a couple I knew who would be able to give you the life you deserved, and I wish I had been able to watch you grow up, but I don't regret choosing to give you a stable life. I knew they would love you as much as I did. Calem, please don't think for a minute that you were never loved - I've loved you from the day you were born."

Calem's own eyes are damp, and he reaches up to wipe at them with his sleeve. He's had seventeen years of feeling abandoned. That isn't going to change in an instant. But oh, the professor's words are starting to heal that wound in his heart. "This is going to sound weird," he says slowly, "But can I have a hug?"

The professor's smile is instantaneous. "Of course," he murmurs, crosses to the other side of the desk, and pulls Calem into his arms.

It's short, a little awkward, but Calem rests his head on the professor's shoulder and thinks, this is the one who gave him life. This is the one who ensured that he had a future. He has felt abandoned, but he can't feel angry. Not any more.

They break apart; Calem runs a nervous hand through his hair. "So, um - I'm not sure I'm quite ready to call you Papa or something," he says awkwardly. "I call my father, well, Père, so I guess 'Papa' is probably the best - definitely better than 'Maman', anyway -" The professor manages a smile; Calem returns it - "But I think I need to... ease in to it, I guess. In the mean time, um, can I use your first name or something?"

The professor nods without hesitation. "Of course," he says immediately, "It's Augustine."

"Augustine Sycamore," Calem muses, then adds, "I guess that makes me Calem Sycamore - or, uh, whatever my other biological parent's name is. It's weird. It's going to be really hard to think of myself as that instead of Calem Mercier, you know?" 

"You can take your time." He's smiling; Calem is too. "This is new for both of us - we can work all this out at a pace that suits us both, alright?"

"Okay." Calem lets out a short laugh, shoving both hands in his pockets to try and avoid fiddling with his hair any more. "Wow, this is... I mean, I was expecting to meet a professor, not a parent."

Augustine grins. "Well, I'm still a professor!" he says brightly, then returns to the other side of the desk, bending down to retrieve something from a drawer. "Would you like to see some photos? From just after you were born?"

The two photos that Augustine holds are well-worn, Calem can see that even from the back. They're free from creases, but the edges are worn smooth, cared-for and cherished pieces. He nods wordlessly, and Augustine hands one over.

It's a teenager in a hospital bed, hair tangled, eyes red, smiling exhaustedly, cradling a blanket-swathed newborn. Calem can barely make out his own face, a tiny puckered red thing, but Augustine at seventeen is near-identical to Calem now, save for the curls and the softer, more feminine face.

He looks so young. Calem tries to imagine it, tries to imagine becoming a parent at the age he is now, and he thinks he can understand why he was adopted out.

"I'm pretty small, huh?" he says softly.

"Two kilograms, nine hundred and forty-six grams," Augustine says instantly. "You were a little premature - nothing drastic, thirty-six weeks - and you were _mostly_ healthy, just... tiny."

He can't really look away from the photo. "Were you worried?"

"Of course." Augustine's voice is soft. "So were your other parents. You were in the neonatal unit for a few days and none of us really left until you could go home with them." A brief smile crosses his face. "It was nice - I knew I couldn't raise you, but I'm glad I got to have those few days."

He hands over the second photo. Calem is still in the humidicrib, but this time, he and Augustine aren't alone. He recognises his parents - younger, familiar from the family photos they have at home - and his attention turns to the other four people in the photo.

"Are they your family?" he asks with a thoughtful frown.

"Your family too," Augustine points out, a soft smile on his face. "Those are my parents - your grandparents - and that's my maternal grandmother. She passed away when you were two, unfortunately. And that's my twin sister - your aunt."

Calem peers at the photo more closely, then promptly starts. "Is that _Diantha Carnet_?"

"'Carnet' is a stage name," Augustine grins. "Her real name is Diantha Sycamore."

(Quietly, Calem vows to never see a movie where his aunt has more... intimate scenes with anyone. He's not quite sure he could take the mental scarring.)

"Lots of new family," he says softly. "Um, is there anyone else? Like - do you have a partner or something? Do I have any other siblings?"

"No other siblings, but I do have a partner," Augustine nods, "His name is Lysandre de Lyon, he -"

"The same Lysandre de Lyon that owns Fleur-de-Lis Labs?!"

"The very same!"

Calem just laughs in sheer surprise and wonder. "Okay. So my dad is the regional professor, my... step-parent, I guess, is a famous technology expert, and my aunt is a movie star and the _champion_." He actually grins at the sheer absurdity of it - twenty minutes ago, he was quite literally a different person. "Cool."

Augustine grins back, and Calem can see how similar their smiles are. "It is pretty cool! Would you like to take the photos with you?"

He shakes his head. "Nah, keep them - but can I take a selfie?" Drawing out his Holo Caster (the one that his father's partner made, he's still not quite sure what he thinks of that), he holds it up.

"Of course!"

There is a new photo on his Holo Caster, one with the two of them smiling at the camera, Augustine's arm around his shoulders, two identical smiles. Calem is still smiling when he leaves, the promise of meeting for lunch on his birthday ahead, and with his friends to meet.

It's a nice day.

 

"Calem!"

Serena calls his name as he enters the cafe, and Calem abruptly finds himself meeting both his father's partner and his aunt.

"Calem?" Diantha exclaims in delight, hurrying over and taking his hands (Serena is staring openly and wide-eyed at the famous movie star greeting him by name; he's a little starstruck himself). "You've spoken to Augustine now?"

He manages a smile that's not too dazed. "Yeah. Um, it's nice to meet you properly, I guess? Wow, I've been watching your movies since I was a kid."

She laughs and reaches up to ruffle his hair, and he tries not to duck. "Well, I hope you don't find me too scary!" she grins, "It's wonderful to finally meet you face to face, I've only ever seen the pictures Augustine has sent me over the years since you were a baby. You've grown up wonderfully!"

Serena is, most likely, extremely confused.

"Welcome to the family, Calem," Lysandre murmurs as he steps closer, shaking Calem's hand. "Augustine has been speaking about this day for - well, years, really." He smiles, and it's only slightly intimidating.

Hands free again, he pushes them in his pockets, shuffling his feet. "Yeah - it's kind of overwhelming, but - in a nice way, I think," he says with an awkward smile. "I mean, I'm about to set out training, but I guess I'll get to know you guys properly when I'm back here, right?"

Diantha beams. "Well, we both travel around ourselves - you never know where we'll pop up," she chuckles. "All the best with your travels, alright, dearest? And happy birthday for next week!"

Serena is still staring by the time they leave, and he slips into the booth at the cafe feeling more than a little flustered. "What was that about?" she asks, the napkin in front of her folded and creased.

With a bemused shake of the head, Calem reaches for the menu. "Well, since we've just met, you wouldn't know, but I'm adopted," he says. "And until now, I didn't know either of my birth parents. Now I do."

Serena blinks. "Professor Sycamore is your father?" she asks, and he nods once, figuring it's close enough. "Oh, huh. I thought you two looked similar. Wait, what about those two back there?"

"Diantha's my aunt, apparently," he shrugs, sounding more casual about it than he really feels. "She and Augustine - uh, the professor - are twins. And Lysandre is his partner. So now I have a ton more family."

"I've had a crush on Diantha since I was twelve." Serena shakes her head and grins, sitting back in the seat. "You totally have to introduce me properly."

He smiles. "Sure. Once I get used to it myself."

The waiter swings by; they order drinks - a tea for Serena, a coffee for himself. Once he's gone, Serena fixes him with a stare. "Okay. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Calem leans forward, and he's smiling because now his family is so much bigger, now he knows where he came from and he can determine where he's going next. "Alright, neighbour," he says, and grins. "How about you and I compete and see who ends up stronger...?"

 

He hasn't quite made it back to Lumiose by his birthday, but he calls his parents in Vaniville on the day from all the way across Kalos, overlooking the sea in Shalour. He's now claimed his third badge, he... hasn't _quite_ claimed Mega Evolution, but he's doing well, he tells them, he's determined and having fun.

He tells them he loves them before he ends the Holo, then dials another number and calls Augustine in Lumiose.

Several days later, when he makes it back to Lumiose, he has four badges under his belt, a fifth to come in the city, and a lunch to attend. Augustine slings an arm over his shoulder and introduces him to the maitre'd, saying, "Jacques, this is my son, Calem," and it feels right.

"So what do you feel like?" Augustine asks when they're seated and have their menus, "They have a superb wild mushroom and asparagus tartine, or the artichoke ragout is wonderful..."

"It all looks really good," Calem murmurs as he scans the menu (Calem is, in fact, a teenage boy, and thus tends to think with his stomach). "Damn. I'm pretty hungry, too."

"Hi, pretty hungry too," Augustine says without missing a beat, a ridiculous grin on his face, "I'm Dad."

Calem gives him the most dubious look he can muster.

Augustine throws up his hands and laughs. "Cut me some slack!" he teases, "I've been saving up the dad jokes for _seventeen years_!" Calem punches him (gently) on the shoulder, and the highly qualified and extremely intelligent regional professor grabs said shoulder, flails, and exclaims, "A critical hit!", and Calem is laughing despite himself, laughing and having fun, and he thinks that, just maybe, they'll be alright.

They'll be alright.


End file.
